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About: Bill Foster |
Bill Foster's passion for bluegrass music began in 1972 when he attended an Indian Springs, Maryland, Bluegrass Festival for the first time. At the festival he met Les McIntyre and formed a long friendship (Les passed away in April 2011). Les introduced Bill to WAMU radio and bluegrass hosts Katy Daley and Gary Henderson. Bill visited the station on occasion and in 1977 became a phone room volunteer and subsequently a phone room traffic manager during fundraisers.
In 1980, during one of the station's annual bluegrass festival weekends, Les started an all-night program of classic country and bluegrass. Bill sat in on the first show and in the following years became co-producer and co-host of the show.
In 1985 WAMU management asked Bill and Les to start a weekly all-night bluegrass program called "Bluegrass Overnight". Bill and Les suggested a rotating host concept and a third host was brought in. In December of that year "Bluegrass Overnight" went live with Carol Pittard as the show's first host with Bill hosting the following Saturday and Les hosting next in the rotation. After Pittard's departure in 1987, Al Steiner joined the team. For the next twelve years Bill, Les and Al co-produced and co-hosted "Bluegrass Overnight". During those years, he also played in local bands Winterwood and Outer Banks.
In 1995 Bill became a contributing writer to Bluegrass Unlimited and continues writing CD reviews and occasional articles. Bill now writes the "Additional Releases" column. Also in 1995, Bill became a Professional Member of the International Bluegrass Music Association.
In 1998 Bill and his wife Sue decided to move to Florida. While there, he became a Board Member and Treasurer of the Southwest Florida Bluegrass Association and was a member of the band Swinging Bridge. He also produced and hosted a short-lived internet web-cast bluegrass program called "Back to Bluegrass" on the now-defunct Sold Gold Bluegrass station. In 2005 Bill began another web-cast venture producing and hosting "Blue Wave Bluegrass" on the Worldwide Bluegrass internet station. He left there in 2006.
In May 2006, Bill and his wife returned to Northern Virginia, moving to the town of Strasburg in the Shenandoah Valley. From 2006 to 2010, he played mandolin and guitar in the local band Five Of A Kind.
December of 2006 saw Bill back in the Bluegrass Country fold as a co-host of Bluegrass Overnight and as a Special Programming contributer. And now since September 2007, Bill produces and hosts Foster's Corner.
Bill is a 2004 graduate of IBMA's Leadership Bluegrass Program and is past Chair of the program's Alumni Committee.
Bill works from home as a contractor for the Federal Government.